Cara cara navel

Last updated
Cara cara navel orange
Cara cara orange cut in half.JPG
Species Citrus × sinensis
Cultivar 'Cara Cara'
Marketing names Power Orange
OriginHacienda de Cara Cara

The Cara cara navel orange, or red-fleshed navel orange, is an early-to-midseason navel orange noted for its pinkish-to-reddish-orange flesh.

Contents

It is believed to have developed as a spontaneous bud mutation on a "standard" Washington navel orange tree. [1] [2] [3] [4] A botanical sport discovered at the Hacienda Caracara in Valencia, Venezuela, in 1976, [4] the cara cara appears to be of such uncertain parentage as to occasionally warrant the distinction of a mutation, with only the tree on which it was found—the Washington navel—being an accepted progenitor. Cara caras did not enter the U.S consumer produce market until the late 1980s [5] and were carried only by specialty markets for many years thereafter. [6]

Characteristics

Cara cara orange slices, on the left, compared to ordinary navel orange slices, on the right Caracaraorange.png
Cara cara orange slices, on the left, compared to ordinary navel orange slices, on the right

This medium-sized navel is seedless, sweet and low in acid - characterized by little to no pith and easy, clean separation from the rind.

Unlike in true blood oranges, where the main pigmentation is due to anthocyanins, pigmentation in Cara Cara oranges is due to carotenoids, such as lycopene. [1] [2]

Season

From the major growing regions, South American Cara caras are ready for market starting in August, whereas Venezuelan fruits arrive in October and California fruits make their seasonal debut in late November and are available through April.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lycopene</span> Carotenoid pigment

Lycopene is an organic compound classified as a tetraterpene and a carotene. Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid hydrocarbon found in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables.

<i>Citrus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus Citrus is native to South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and Australia. Various citrus species have been used and domesticated by indigenous cultures in these areas since ancient times. From there its cultivation spread into Micronesia and Polynesia by the Austronesian expansion ; and to the Middle East and the Mediterranean via the incense trade route, and onwards to Europe and the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mango</span> Species of fruit

A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree Mangifera indica. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. M. indica has been cultivated in South and Southeast Asia since ancient times resulting in two types of modern mango cultivars: the "Indian type" and the "Southeast Asian type". Other species in the genus Mangifera also produce edible fruits that are also called "mangoes", the majority of which are found in the Malesian ecoregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papaya</span> Species of tropical fruit plant

The papaya, papaw, or pawpaw is the plant species Carica papaya, one of the 21 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and Central America. It is grown in several countries in regions with a tropical climate. In 2020, India produced 42% of the world's supply of papayas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grapefruit</span> Citrus fruit

The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The interior flesh is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark pink/red.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clementine</span> Hybrid citrus fruit

A clementine is a tangor, a citrus fruit hybrid between a willowleaf mandarin orange and a sweet orange, named in honor of Clément Rodier, a French missionary who first discovered and propagated the cultivar in Algeria. The exterior is a deep orange colour with a smooth, glossy appearance. Clementines can be separated into 7 to 14 segments. Similar to tangerines, they tend to be easy to peel. They are typically juicy and sweet, with less acid than oranges. Their oils, like other citrus fruits, contain mostly limonene as well as myrcene, linalool, α-pinene and many complex aromatics.

<i>Citrus unshiu</i> Citrus fruit and plant


Citrus unshiu is a semi-seedless and easy-peeling citrus species, also known as the satsuma mandarin or Japanese mandarin. During the Edo period of Japan, kishu mikans were more popular because there was a popular superstition that eating Citrus unshiu without seeds made people prone to infertility. Citrus unshiu became popular in Japan after modernization started in the Meiji period. It was introduced to the West from the Satsuma region of Japan in 1878.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Citrus State Historic Park</span> Historic site in California, United States

California Citrus State Historic Park is an open-air museum in the city of Riverside, California, United States. As part of the state park system of California, it interprets the historic cultural landscape of the citrus industry. The park’s museum exhibits and interpretive features share the story of the citrus industry's role in the history and development of Southern California, and is told through the experiences of the diverse migrant and immigrant groups who made it all possible. The 248-acre (100 ha) park was established in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaffa orange</span> Variety of orange fruit

The Jaffa orange, also known as Shamouti orange, is an orange variety with few seeds and a tough skin that makes it particularly suitable for export.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood orange</span> Variety of orange with dark red flesh

The blood orange is a variety of orange with crimson, near blood-colored flesh. It is one of the sweet orange varieties. It is also known as the raspberry orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tangor</span> Citrus fruit cross between mandarin and sweet orange

The tangor is a citrus fruit hybrid of the mandarin orange and the sweet orange. The name "tangor" is a formation from the "tang" of tangerine and the "or" of "orange." Also called the temple orange, its thick rind is easy to peel and its bright orange pulp is sour-sweet and full-flavoured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iyokan</span> Citrus fruit and plant

The iyokan, also known as anadomikan (穴門みかん) and Gokaku no Iyokan, is a Japanese citrus fruit, similar in appearance to a mandarin orange, with Dancy as the pollen parent and Kaikokan as the seed parent. It is the second most widely produced citrus fruit in Japan after the satsuma mandarin. Ehime Prefecture accounted for 90% of Iyokan production in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange (fruit)</span> Citrus fruit

An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae ; it primarily refers to Citrus × sinensis, which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related Citrus × aurantium, referred to as bitter orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinnow</span> Variety of citrus fruit

The Kinnow is a high yield mandarin hybrid cultivated extensively in the wider Punjab region of India and Pakistan.

<i>Citrus</i> × <i>sinensis</i> Cultivated trees bearing sweet oranges

Citrus × aurantium f. aurantium, a hybrid between pomelo and mandarin, also known as the sweet oranges, is a commonly cultivated species of orange that includes Valencia oranges, blood oranges and navel oranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza Tibbets</span> California founder of the citrus industry

Eliza Tibbets was among early American settlers and founders of Riverside, California; she was an activist in Washington, D.C., for progressive social causes, including freedmen's rights and universal suffrage before going to the West Coast. A spiritualist, she led seances in Riverside. She became known for successfully growing the first two hybrid Washington navel orange trees in California.

Riverside, California, was founded in 1870, and named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It became the county seat when Riverside County, California, was established in 1893.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reikou</span> Citrus fruit and plant

Reikou is a cultivar of tangor. It is a citrus hybrid of a hybrid of Kiyomi and Encore and Murcott tangor.

The Citrus stubborn disease is a plant disease affecting species in the genus Citrus. Spiroplasma citri, a Mollicute bacterium species, is the causative agent of the disease. It is present in the phloem of the affected plant. Originally discovered transmitted by several leafhoppers including Circulifer tenellus and Scaphytopius nitridus in citrus-growing regions of California, it is now spread by the same hoppers in Arizona and Circulifer haematoceps in the Mediterranean region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington navel orange tree (Riverside, California)</span> Historic landmark in California

The Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree is a tree grown by Eliza Tibbets in Riverside, California, in 1873. The Riverside County tree was designated a California Historic Landmark (No.20) on June 1, 1932, at the corner of Magnolia Street and Arlington Street, Riverside. The Bahia, Brazil, Washington navel orange was brought to the United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1870. The Department of Agriculture imported twelve trees; from these trees, some buds were grafted on to California sweet orange trees. The Washington Navel Orange is also called California Navel Orange.

References

  1. 1 2 Lee, Hyoung S. (2001). "Characterization of Carotenoids in Juice of Red Navel Orange (Cara Cara)". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 49 (5): 2563–2568. doi:10.1021/jf001313g. ISSN   0021-8561. PMID   11368636.
  2. 1 2 Alquezar, Berta; Rodrigo, Maria J.; Zacarías, Lorenzo (2008). "Regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during fruit maturation in the red-fleshed orange mutant Cara Cara". Phytochemistry. 69 (10): 1997–2007. Bibcode:2008PChem..69.1997A. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2008.04.020. PMID   18538806.
  3. Susser, Allen (1997). The Great Citrus Book: A Guide with Recipes . Ten Speed Press. ISBN   978-0-89815-855-7.
  4. 1 2 "Cara Cara navel orange". Citrus Variety Collection. University of California Riverside, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  5. Kauffman, Jonathan (December 26, 2006). "Cara cara mia". Voracious Blog. Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-05-15.
  6. "Product Info: Cara Cara Oranges". Melissas.com. Melissa's/World Variety Produce, Inc. Archived from the original on 2004-08-04. Retrieved 2004-08-04.